The Last Night
by T. F. Crosby
Summary: He once believed everything was in black and white, until he was betrayed by the one he called brother. A three chaptered companion piece to Perfidies: The Fall.
1. Chapter 1

This is a companion piece to _Perfidies: The Fall_. It was supposed to be a oneshot, but because of its length I diveded it into three chapters. In this you'll find out why certain things happened. I'll be using the current Storm Hawks in this.

Keep in mind: All is not what it seems.

* * *

**The Last Night**

**Chapter One**

The shrill sound of his alarm was enough to make the calmest, most docile creature go absolutely mad. It wasn't the normal buzzing of most alarm clocks; it was that high-pitched beeping that grates on every nerve in your body. He reached out to turn it off, inadvertently knocking it to the floor, still beeping.

"Why do I even have that stupid thing?" the blond said groggily. _Oh, right. Piper got it for me._

He pushed the covers off of himself and leaned over the side of his bed, picking up his alarm clock.

"Man, why'd we have to anchor someplace we can't pick up any radio stations?" he grumbled, resetting the alarm and placing the clock back on his nightstand.

"Finn," Aerrow called, knocking on the door. "Are you up, yet?"

"Yes, I'm up," Finn replied, yawning. "I'm just not dressed yet."

"Well, hurry up. We've got a lot to do today."

"Dude, you're starting to sound like Piper."

Aerrow snickered. "That's because Piper's too busy to yell at you for not setting your alarm for the right time." The Sky Knight grinned to himself. "You know, I did stop her from bursting into your room and throttling you."

"You're too kind," Finn replied sarcastically.

The redhead grinned at his furry companion on his shoulder. "Just hurry up, Finn. There's something I wanna check out on this terra and I need you to come with me."

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying."

* * *

"Exactly why are we walking?" asked Finn.

"You'll see," Aerrow replied nonchalantly, though he was grinning like mad.

Finn trudged on behind him grumbling. Aerrow couldn't stop grinning. He was waiting for Finn to say something along the lines of "are we there yet" or "how much further," but before the blond could say anything...

"Here it is," Aerrow said; his grin bigger than ever.

Finn stared wide-eyed. "Whoa..." Standing before him was a sky-ride, but not just any sky-ride. "Dude, you don't think..."

Aerrow shrugged. "It's possible. I mean, there's never been another ride like it."

The sky-ride in question was a Skimmer III similar to Aerrow's but without the upgrades and Radarr-esque cockpit. Attached to the back of this particular skimmer was a large sheet of metal that obviously acted as a secondary cockpit. _So, this is where he stood_, Finn thought as he ran his hand along the metal plate.

"So this is where..."

"Yeah." Aerrow's expression dropped.

It wasn't so much that the whole thing was a sore spot with the young Sky Knight, he was only four at the time, but whenever it was brought up (which was rarely) there was a light hint of sadness that would appear on his face. It may have been small but Finn could see it, though he wasn't entirely sure what Aerrow was sad over. Was it over the destruction of their predecessors? Or was it...?

"Does it still work?" Finn said, not wanting Aerrow to dwell on the matter any longer.

Aerrow grinned. "Only one way to find out."

* * *

"Ah-ha-yeah! This is awesome!" Finn yelled, excitement rushing through his veins as he held on to the back of the skimmer, his feet firmly planted on the metal plate.

Aerrow looked back at him, a broad smile on his face. Finn, returned his gaze, grinning. He watched his Sky Knight's smile fade into a mischievous grin. The blond's expression dropped.

"Dude, what are you—Wah!"

The redhead suddenly pulled the skimmer into a barrel-roll. Finn held a death grip on the back of the ride as Aerrow spun the skimmer wildly mere feet above the forest canopy. When he finally came out of the high-speed spin his wingman gave him a nasty look. Aerrow began laughing.

"Not funny, Aerrow," Finn growled.

"Come on, Finn," the Sky Knight snickered. "It was a total blast."

"Yeah. Next time, I drive."

"Yeah, right," Aerrow laughed. "We'd better get back to the Condor. But we'll probably have to sneak in. Stork might want to put us through extreme-de-con for playing with this dirty old skimmer." The two boys snickered.

Finn looked down at the forest canopy. _I wonder how often Dark Ace and Rowan did this? _He glanced at the metal plate he was standing on. "I can't believe I'm standing in the same place as Dark Ace did." He looked at Aerrow's twin daggers. "So that's how he did it." Aerrow looked back at him. "Oh, sorry."

"No, it's okay," Aerrow replied. "I was actually thinking the same thing."

Silence fell upon them for a brief moment. "Hey, Aerrow?" Finn said as they neared the _Condor_. "Can I ask you something, um...personal?"

"Sure, Finn. You know you can ask me anything."

The blond hesitated, wondering if he should ask. "Do you ever wonder why Dark Ace did what he did?"

Aerrow sighed, his happy expression falling. "All the time."

* * *

Stork stared out the window, frowning, as Aerrow and Finn landed on the deck. _Great. More junk. _He eyed the skimmer suspiciously, watching it move into the hangar. _That thing's probably crawling with germs._

* * *

Finn knelt down next to the skimmer, running his hand along the front fender and grinning like an idiot.

"Can we please take it out on patrol?" Finn pleaded as Junko and Piper entered the hangar with Radarr following behind.

"Uh..." Aerrow grimaced.

"I don't think you should, Finn," Junko said, jiggling the joints that held the secondary cockpit to the ride. "This is pretty loose."

"Oh, come on...it's in perfect condition," Finn returned as the rear fender fell off. "So it needs a little work."

Piper stared at it. "It needs a lot of work."

Finn glared at her.

"Look, we can work on it after the morning patrol and maybe take it for another spin in the afternoon," Aerrow suggested.

"Okay, fine," the blond grumbled.

Aerrow stared at him. "The sooner we get going the sooner we'll get back."

"And the sooner we get back the more time we'll have to work on the ride."

"Uh, thanks for finishing my thought, Junko."

The Wallop grinned. "Heh, sorry."

Aerrow shook his head. "Come on, guys. Let's go." Finn stared at their new-found skimmer, whimpering. Come on, Finn."

* * *

Finn yawned loudly as they made a pass over the edge of the terra. "There's nothing out here," he said with a loud and heavy sigh.

Junko raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Sure," the blond replied, "if you don't mind being bored out of your skull."

Piper rolled her eyes. She had decided a long time ago that most of Finn's remarks didn't warrant a retort. Not from her, anyway. Aerrow on the other hand was more than happy to supply a reply for his wingman.

"We're almost finished, Finn," the Sky Knight said in his usual happy-go-lucky way. "Besides, do you really wanna run into the Talons after what happened last week?"

"Dude, I don't wanna run into Talons, rogues, sky sharks, phoenixes, scorpion flies..."

"Then why are you complaining?"

"Because I'm bored. It's boring out here," the blond replied, looking off to his left. "And just because I want something to happen doesn't mean I want it to involve any of the aforementioned."

A flash of light from the ground drew Aerrow's attention away from Finn. "Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?" Piper replied. She had stopped listening to Finn as soon as he said "because I'm bored."

"That," Aerrow said, pointing to the now rapid succession of flashing light. He looked back at Junko and a still babbling Finn. "Come on. Let's check it out."

"Finn," Junko said, trying to get his friend's attention. "Finn." Even if he yelled he wouldn't get the blond's attention. Finn was off in his own world. The Wallop rolled his eyes. The sharpshooter got like this when he was bored, so Junko decided to go ahead and follow the others. _Finn will figure it out_.

"...and not to mention _Stork_ hid my guitar!" There was silence. Not even the sound of sky-rides. "Guys?" Finn sighed. "Great. I did it again." He looked towards the ground. "Now, where'd they go?"

* * *

Aerrow stopped a few feet from a small, silver, pyramid-shaped box sitting by itself in the middle of a large clearing. The Sky Knight sat on his ride, staring at the small box; Piper and Junko pulled up on either side of him. His two companions followed his gaze.

"What is that?" Piper queried.

"I don't know," Aerrow said, getting off his ride. As he walked towards the box Radarr began squawking and chattering wildly. The redhead turned to his furry companion. "What's with you?"

The animal continued chattering, urging Aerrow not to go any closer to the object. Something wasn't right. There was a strange smell in the air. _Why couldn't Aerrow smell it? It was pretty potent. He should be able to smell it. So why...?_

"Look," Aerrow said, holding the object in his hand. The object was made of a shiny, metallic material, yet it didn't reflect the sunlight, even though they were in an open area. "It's harmless."

"I don't know, Aerrow," Junko said warily. "It seems kinda—"

"Hey, where's Finn?" the Sky Knight queried, cutting off the Wallop.

"Um, I couldn't get his attention," Junko responded.

As Aerrow opened his mouth to speak, Piper noticed the object beginning to open.

"Um, Aerrow..."

"What?" Piper pointed at the box, wide-eyed. Aerrow looked down. "This can't be good."

Radarr sank down into his cockpit and covered his eyes.

The sides of the pyramid-shaped box flattened out. A mechanism inside began to spin, emitting a low hum.

"Aerrow, I really think you should get rid of that thing," Junko said, but his words went unheard by the Sky Knight.

As the mechanism continued to spin, gaining more speed by the second, it began to glow. Aerrow's eyes were fixated on it. His team mates began yelling at him, trying to get his attention, but nothing was reaching him. The redhead's eyes narrowed as the glow began to fade. Piper and Junko started to relax, thinking it was over. However, the blue creature hiding in the secondary cockpit of the Sky Knight's skimmer knew better. The spinning stopped and the object grew silent. A few quiet moments passed.

"Aerrow?" Piper said softly.

The redhead didn't respond. He stood deathly still, staring at the object. A low even hum began to emanate from the object again, but the mechanism remained still. The base of the mechanism began to glow as the hum grew louder. Piper and Junko covered their ears but they were unable to shut out the drone. It was annoying them, yet it didn't seem to faze their Sky Knight at all. The glow suddenly ceased and a bright light flashing rapidly. The two other Storm Hawks quickly closed their eyes, turning their heads away. Aerrow dropped the box, falling backward. He quickly averted his eyes but found himself turning back just as quickly. As he stared at the pulsating light a vision began to unfold before him.

_Finn. Him. On that skimmer. Finn standing on the back. Piper and Junko on either side of them, the Condor behind them. A strange look on Finn's face. He grabs the redhead's twin blades, connecting them. He turns to see his friend holding the blade above him, pointing it at him. A sneer on his face._

The flashing light suddenly ceased and the vision with it. The box closed and sat on the ground, seemingly harmless. Radarr popped his head up and looked at his human companion. He was still staring at the box, unmoving. Piper turned her head, along with Junko, back to Aerrow to see the teenager seated on the ground with his legs out in front of him and his arms behind him.

"Aerrow?"

He looked up at Piper. "Huh?"

"I think we should go find Finn."

"Yeah, you're right," he replied, standing up. "Let's go find Finn." He stopped in front of his ride, looking at his squad mates. There was a strange look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked concern in her voice.

"When I was staring into that light," he began, "I had a vision."

"Of what?"

"Us. We were on our rides flying," he continued. "We were out in front of the Condor. Finn and I were on that skimmer that I found. He was on the back." He paused. "We were heading somewhere...I don't know where. There was a strange look on his face. He reached down and grabbed my blades. I turned my head. Finn had my blades connected, pointing them at me, ready to strike. He had this look..." Aerrow trailed off. "That's where the vision ended."

He stared at the three in front of him. All of them stared back in disbelief.

"No..." Piper said sotto voce. "Finn would never do that."

Aerrow mounted his ride. "Not a word of this to him or Stork. Not until I figure out what happened."

"You don't think Finn would...?"

"I don't know, Junko. I hope not." He looked at his squad mates. "Come on. Let's get outta here."

They turned their sky-rides around, quickly taking to the sky, leaving the pyramid-shaped box behind. As soon as they were in the air a figure in a heavy, brown, hooded-cloak stepped out into the open and picked up the box. It held the object in its palm. The silver sides glimmered in the sunlight. It stared at the box.

"Step one, complete."

* * *

Not finding the blond anywhere, Aerrow radioed the _Condor_. "Hey, Stork. Is Finn there?"

"Yes! I am!" Finn's voice came back, sounding a little irritated. "And before you say anything, I _did_ look for you."

Aerrow opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a sound Finn spoke again. "And no I don't know what happened. I have no idea why you took off on me."

"Are you finished?" Stork said.

"Yes," the blond answered flatly.

"I tried to get your attention," he heard Junko say.

"Whatever. Just hurry and get back. I'm hungry."

"Finn, you just had breakfast an hour ago," Piper said. "And besides, you can make yourself something."

"Your point?" he replied flippantly. "And _besides_...Stork won't let me in the kitchen."

* * *

After lunch, and a little griping from his wingman, he dragged Finn into the hangar to work on the skimmer he had found. Normally they ate their meals in the hangar when they were anchored on a terra; however Stork insisted they eat on the bridge. Finn had tried to figure the Merb out but after so many years he became used to Stork's antics and gave up on trying to understand.

"So," the blond began, tightening the bolts on the secondary cockpit, "what happened out there?"

Aerrow looked up at him. "Thought I saw something. Turned out to be nothing."

"Oh," he replied, handing the wrench to Radarr.

The redhead finished cleaning the lower right wing and tossed the rag into the bucket. "Wings are done."

"Secondary cockpit secure."

Aerrow climbed up onto the platform and onto the skimmer, pulling the lever to fold the wings. Finn moved to the side to allow Aerrow to back the skimmer down the ramp.

"Hey. Should we take it for a quick spin?" Finn said, grinning.

His Sky Knight didn't answer right away. The comment pulled his mind back to the vision. He knew Finn would never do anything like that, but then, his predecessor probably thought the same thing about... No! He couldn't think that way. That was completely different. _Wasn't it?_

"Aerrow." Finn's voice pulled him back to reality. "You okay, dude?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Aerrow replied. "Let's go take her for a spin."

The blond grinned, then frowned saying, "No barrel-rolls."

Aerrow gave him a mischievous grin.

"Aerrow..."

"Okay, no barrel-rolls."

"Promise."

Aerrow stared at him grinning. Finn glared back.

"I promise."

Finn knew Aerrow better than that, but he really wanted to go for a ride. Barrel-rolls or no barrel-rolls, the sharpshooter threw caution to the wind, like he usually did. (Something that always annoyed Piper.)

"Okay," the blond replied, eyeing his friend suspiciously. "Let's go!"

* * *

By the time they returned to the _Condor _they had little over an hour before the afternoon patrol. Radarr was very happy to be back on the ship. The poor animal was ready to vomit. One barrel-roll was one too many for him. For Aerrow, however, one was nowhere near enough. Finn, on the other hand, wasn't happy with the barrel-rolls at first; but after four in a row he seemed to be enjoying them. _Teenagers_. Next time, he was riding with Piper.

On the bridge Stork was attached to the helm, as per usual. Piper was looking over a map and Junko was putting the finishing touches on a repair job to the _Condor's_ right wall. Finn walked onto the bridge. He stopped and turned around when he didn't hear Aerrow following.

"Something wrong?" he asked, seeing Aerrow still standing in the doorway.

"No, everything's cool," the Sky Knight replied in a bit of a daze. "I'll be back in a minute. I need to do something."

"Whatever," Finn said with a shrug.

Aerrow headed down the corridor to his room, though he did make a pit stop at the bathroom. He sat down on his bed and stared out the window. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was about to happen. _And then there was that vision_. Why did he have it? What caused him to have it? Was it that pyramid-box? That light? Something was messing with his head. There had to be an explanation for it. Was it a new scheme from Cyclonis? A trick of some kind? Was she trying to drive a wedge between him and Finn? That had to be it. Finn would never betray them. _Would he?_

The teenager shook his head. He had to find out. He had to go back to the spot where he found the pyramid-box; the answer had to be there. He would go back on the afternoon patrol—alone. He didn't want Piper or Junko to worry and Radarr wasn't about to go anywhere with him after all those barrel-rolls. As for Stork, he would be kept out of the loop for now; the last thing he needed was Stork freaking out. And Finn...

Aerrow stood up. "No, I won't tell him until I figure this out. And the same goes for Stork."

He still had half an hour before he needed to leave, so he decided to record the incident in his journal, then he would head out on patrol, alone.

* * *

"_Come on, dude. I wanna go with you."_

_"No, Finn. Not this time."_

_"What's your deal? You've been acting weird ever since you got back from the morning patrol." Finn sighed. "What'd I do?"_

_"You didn't do anything. I just wanna go it alone this time."_

_"Fine. Whatever."_

Aerrow sighed as he flew back to the spot where they found the strange box. His decision to go it alone didn't go over well with, well...Finn. Stork couldn't have cared less, though he did mention something about poisonous flying chipmunks or something, he really wasn't listening. Radarr wasn't going anywhere near a skimmer for awhile; Piper and Junko had been with him the first time so there was no argument from them. They knew what he was doing and the fact that they had been sworn to secrecy made it all the more difficult to just brush it off as Aerrow wanting to do something by himself. Finn didn't buy it. Aerrow never went out on patrol alone. He had someone with him every time, even if it was only Radarr. As much as Finn wanted to argue it he let it go. Aerrow was their Sky Knight. If he wanted to go alone, he could. He was a big boy.

Piper elbowed the blond when he made the "big boy" remark as Aerrow walked off the bridge. The redhead merely rolled his eyes.

He sighed again. Looking down as he flew over the clearing, he saw the same flashing light he had seen that morning.

_Well, here goes nothing._

There it was. The same pyramid-shaped box he had held in his hand earlier, sitting on the ground, lifeless. He brought his ride to a full stop a few feet away and got off. He stood in front of the box, staring at it, debating whether or not it would be wise to pick it up. Deciding to pull a Finn he picked it up. Much to his relief the object did nothing.

"I see you have found my toy."

Aerrow whipped around to see someone standing behind him. It was covered head-to-toe in a heavy, brown hooded-cloak.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Who I am matters not, young one," it replied. "May I have it back?" It held out a gloved hand.

"Yeah, sure." Aerrow placed the object into its hand.

"You were here this morning," it said, holding out the object.

"How'd you know I was here?" the Sky Knight said, now airing on the side of caution.

The cloaked-figure chuckled. "Let's just say, this is a very special toy and I like to keep a close eye on it."

Aerrow eyed the cloaked-figure suspiciously. The pitch of its voice changed with nearly every word it spoke as did its range. The sound of the voice would constantly flip-flop between normal and hissy. Aerrow couldn't tell if the cloaked-figure was male or female and with the way the cloak was, he couldn't tell what species it was, either.

"Forgive me, Sky Knight, for being vague," it hissed, almost snake-like, "you're probably wondering what this is."

"I want to know what it did to me," Aerrow said flatly.

Though Aerrow couldn't see it the figure grinned and then chuckled. "You mean the vision?" it said, now in a raspy voice as if it were inhaling as it spoke. Aerrow's body tensed. "So you did have one. May I ask what you saw?"

Aerrow didn't want to answer but he soon heard himself replaying the vision to the cloaked-figure.

"Is it the future?" the teenager asked. "Is Finn going to betray us?"

"I do not know," it replied. "I cannot tell the future." It held the object in front of Aerrow's face. "However, it would be wise to take it as a warning. It has happened before."

"Finn's nothing like the Dark Ace," Aerrow seethed.

"Are you positive? There are many things we do not learn about each other until it's too late."

The box opened up and the mechanism inside began to spin. It began to glow as it spun faster. _No, not again_. Aerrow tried to turn away but he couldn't move his eyes away from the object, nor could he close them. The spinning suddenly stopped and the glow slowly faded away. The world around him became deathly still. Then a low, even hum began to fill his ears as the base of the mechanism began to glow. Aerrow's eyes widened as the glow ceased and an intensely bright light began flashing. He saw himself and Finn again, the same as last time. No. Not the same. _He was on the skimmer. Finn was behind him. He felt his blades being removed from their sheath. He turned._

"Finn? No! Finn! Don't!"

"Yes, Aerrow," it said to him as images of Finn's betrayal filled the Sky Knight's mind. "The betrayal is coming. It is inevitable."

"No!" Aerrow yelled. As the flashes slowed he saw something he never would have expected. "Wait!"

Aerrow fell to his knees. The flashes stopped; the box folded back into its pyramid shape. The Sky Knight's head began to swim and he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

When Aerrow awoke the pyramid-box and the cloaked-figure were nowhere to be seen. He stood up. His head was pounding and his eyes hurt. Everything that had happened was a blur. He leaned against his skimmer, waiting for his foggy head to clear.

"Who was that?" he said to himself. "What happened to me?" The trees rustled as if to answer him.

He suddenly remembered. A look of malice crossed his face. "Finn..."

Aerrow quickly got onto his ride and took-off without looking back. When he was out of sight the cloaked-figure stepped out into the open. He removed his hood and said in his normal voice,

"And so it begins...and so it shall end."

* * *

And so ends chapter one. The following chapters should be up soon. It depends on how much time I have to type everything up. I bet no one will figure out who the cloaked-figure is. You must remember: All is not what it seems.


	2. Chapter 2

I forgot to mention this. The gang, except Stork and Radarr, are about seventeen-eighteen years old. Stork's about twenty-four.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Where is he?" Aerrow bellowed as he stormed onto the bridge. A sneer curled his lips as he glared at the Merb that stood at the helm.

"Wh-where's who?" Stork stuttered.

"Finn!" the Sky Knight yelled. "Where is he?"

"I-I think he's in the k-kitchen."

Aerrow shot the Merb a murderous glare and stormed off the bridge down to the kitchen.

* * *

Finn scoured the kitchen for some snacks. It was that time of day between lunch and dinner when it was vital for a teenage boy to eat something. Nothing big, just a skydog, some chips, flamecorn...whatever. Although he heard footsteps coming down the corridor he was too busy searching for something to eat to care.

"Finn!" Aerrow yelled, catching the blond completely off-guard.

Startled, he quickly turned to face his Sky Knight. "What is it?"

"We need to talk now," he replied coldly. "_Privately_."

Finn was confused, as well as frightened, at his Sky Knight's outburst. Aerrow looked absolutely livid, like he was ready to choke him to death. He couldn't fathom why the redhead was so angry. He did get separated from the others during the morning patrol, but that was no reason for Aerrow to be so irate. This wasn't like him, even when Finn did something stupid.

"Okay," Finn replied slowly.

The blond knew something had happened to him during the morning patrol. Piper and Junko would give him strange looks and evade his every question while Aerrow was out on the afternoon patrol. Not to mention the way the three of them were acting towards him when they returned from their morning run. Aerrow looked upset but he seemed fine by early afternoon. Initially, Finn thought his Sky Knight was upset at him for getting separated from the squad during the morning run, but the more he thought about it the less sense it made; so he brushed it off as everyone having a bad morning.

"Your room," Aerrow said flatly, glaring at him.

"Yeah, sure. My room," the sharpshooter replied, trying not to show any fear.

When they entered Finn's room Aerrow closed the door and promptly locked it. "Man, you're serious about the _privately_ part," the blond mumbled.

Aerrow didn't respond. He faced the door, hands pressed against it, elbows bent. Finn stood next to his desk in an awkward, and somewhat fearful, silence. He was becoming anxious and _did not_ want to be in the same room as the redhead; he could feel a vast amount of bad ambiance filling the room. Finn opened his mouth to speak; but Aerrow suddenly spoke, still facing the door.

"Would you ever betray us?"

"What...?" Finn said shocked, wondering if he had heard right.

"Would you ever betray us?" Aerrow repeated angrily, turning to face Finn.

"No," the blond replied, horrified that his Sky Knight had even thought of such a thing. "You know I'd never do that."

Aerrow glared at him and he didn't like the look.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," the Sky Knight seethed venomously. "Would you betray us?"

He was practically in Finn's face and the blond was ready to pass out from fear. It was the first time he had ever been afraid of Aerrow. Finn started shaking and found himself unable to speak; he could feel his eyes welling up with tears. Aerrow drew one of his blades and pointed it at Finn's throat.

"Answer me!" he yelled. His eyes were filled with a fury Finn had never seen before. "Would you ever betray us?"

"No!" Finn cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Why do you keep asking me that?" He could feel the blade pricking the skin of his throat. "What did I ever do to make you think that?"

He could see the hate in Aerrow's eyes and he knew the Sky Knight didn't believe him. Without answering, Aerrow withdrew his blade and walked towards the door. He turned back to Finn briefly, glaring with an intense malice and walked out.

Finn fell to his knees sobbing. He leaned back against his desk and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He couldn't stop crying. _Why does he think I would betray them? Do the others feel the same way?_

* * *

That night, Finn didn't show up for dinner and Aerrow didn't seem to care. Nor did he show much interest in his own food. Junko took a few bites of his, but for the most part he just pushed it around his plate. Piper never bothered to pick up a utensil. Those two had looks of malcontent. Something was making them unhappy. Then there was Aerrow. The redhead looked like he was desperate to kill something—_or_ _someone_. The discontented atmosphere was making Stork uneasy, downright petrified to be exact; but somehow he found the courage to speak.

"Sh-should I g-go get Finn?" the Merb squeezed out.

"No," Aerrow replied, pushing his food around.

"I could bring some food to—"

"No!" Stork cringed and sank into his seat at the Sky Knight's reaction. "If he wants something, he can come and get it." He threw his fork down. "I'm going to my room."

As soon as he was gone Stork sat back up. He looked back and forth at Piper and Junko as Radarr climbed onto what should've been Finn's seat. The animal had been huddled underneath it since dinner had started. For the first time in his life, _he was afraid of Aerrow_. He grabbed the food off Aerrow's plate and began eating. The three other Storm Hawks stared at him but the animal paid no attention. Stork sighed and began eating; Junko and Piper soon followed. The meal was completed in relative silence.

Something was direly wrong. Stork had heard Aerrow yelling at Finn when he had gone to grab something from his room. What he heard wasn't Aerrow, not the Aerrow he knew. And Finn...from the little he heard from the blond he knew it was all fear; fear of Aerrow. He also noticed Piper and Junko acting odd. Stork had a horrible feeling that whatever was going on _was not_ going to go away anytime soon; if at all. He had to find out what happened to their Sky Knight. He couldn't let his paranoia get in the way. _Yeah, right_.

Stork sighed. _This is not going to end well_.

* * *

Finn sat on the floor, leaning against the end of his bed. He had since stopped crying, yet his eyes remained red from the tears. It was well after dinner now and no one had come to see why he hadn't shown up, nobody came to see if he wanted anything. He would have gotten himself something, but he was too scared to leave his room with Aerrow the way he was. No one seemed to care; at least, that's how he felt. He was nearly convinced that they _all_ believed he would betray them, until he heard a light knock on his door. He opened it up to find a plate of hot food and a glass of water sitting on the floor. As he bent down to pick it up he caught a glimpse of their carrier pilot out of the corner of his eye. The Merb hadn't been acting like the others towards him. He figured Stork was as clueless as he was as to what was going on.

When he finished, he placed the plate and glass back outside his room. He closed the door and lied down on his bed. He hadn't been laying there long when he heard footsteps again. They stopped at his door. There was a heavy sigh and the clacking of the glass and plate.

"That redheaded March Hare is going to kill me for bringing you dinner."

A small grin crossed Finn's lips. _Good ol' Stork_. He leaned against the door, his grin gone. He was about to say something when Stork spoke.

"I don't know what his problem is. I mean, he wouldn't even let me come and see why you hadn't shown up for dinner after the rest of us had come. When I didn't see you there I figured one of them would go get you, but when they just sat there with those looks of malcontent, which really creeped me out, I volunteered to go get you but he gave me that _look_ and said 'no.' I thought he was going to snap my neck." Stork was starting to ramble. "We ate, sort of, in silence, which under normal circumstances would have been a breath of fresh air for me but it was not a very benevolent silence and then when I offered to bring you some food, well..." He sighed. "Look, I have no idea what's going on here. I don't know why he believes what he does."

Finn leaned his head against the door, tears in his eyes. "Hey, Stork?"

"Yeah."

"Do you...do you believe I would betray you guys?"

There was silence. Finn was beginning to fear his answer but a half-smile crept onto his face when the pilot finally answered.

"No, Finn, I don't." He paused. "But I can't speak for the others. From what I've seen, and inadvertently heard, these past ten hours, I don't think there's any chance of convincing them you wouldn't, especially..." He sighed again.

"But why is he so..." Finn searched his brain for the right word, but his mind yielded nothing. "All these years, I believed he trusted me, that we were friends. Heh. I even considered him a brother... Shows how naive I really am." Tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Finn," Stork said, sorrow in his voice. "I don't know what to do." He paused for a moment, staring at Finn's door. "Good night, Finn."

"Good night, Stork."

He stood at the door, listening to the Merb's footsteps fade away. When he could no longer hear them he slid down the door onto the floor. His tears began to fall harder and he quickly found himself sobbing uncontrollably. _Why is this happening? What did I do? _

* * *

The following morning, Finn awoke to the sound of skimmers. He looked at the clock on his nightstand as the sound of the sky-rides faded away. _Eight-thirty_.

"Morning patrol," he said with a yawn. "Don't bother getting me. Not like I wanted to go."

And it was probably just as well. He'd be able to relax and possibly eat breakfast before Aerrow returned. He got out of bed and dressed quickly; he didn't want to waste any time. Aerrow could easily make a short trip of the sweep. He headed down the corridor, cautiously, to the bridge. The last few steps to the bridge were tentative ones; he was unsure of what might be awaiting him. To his relief, Stork was the only one on the bridge, though a blue, furry dart did fly past him off the bridge as he stepped in.

"Hey, Stork," Finn said.

The Merb turned around. "Hey," he said softly. "Sleep well?"

"Dreamless...but otherwise okay. Not sure when I made it to my bed." His eyes darted around the bridge.

Stork turned back to the helm. "Piper left some sandcakes for you in the kitchen."

"Oh. Good. Guess I'll go eat then."

"Probably a good idea."

As he reached the door, Finn turned to the pilot. "Hey, Stork."

"What is it?"

"Thanks for bringing me dinner last night."

A small smile crossed the Merb's lips. "Sure thing."

Finn sighed as the door closed behind him. "I hope this turns out to be a good day."

* * *

Nearing the kitchen he heard the clacking of plates and silverware. He peered around the doorframe into the kitchen and was completely taken aback by what he saw. There on the table was a plate of sandcakes and a glass of grape juice and standing by the chair was Radarr. He pulled the chair back, smiling at Finn.

"You set this up?" the blond said, a forlorn look on his face.

Radarr nodded, still smiling.

A weak smile worked its way onto Finn's face. "Thanks buddy."

He sat down at the table and began to eat. _Man, Piper's sandcakes are good_. Radarr grabbed some fruit off the counter and jumped onto the chair across from Finn. He reached over and scratched the animal behind the ears. Normally, Radarr abhorred being scratched or petted; he always felt that that was something you did to a pet and he was _not_ a pet. But this was different. For one thing, it felt good and he knew he needed it just as much as Finn did.

"So," Finn began, "why aren't you out there with them?" Radarr's posture drooped and he let out a whimper. Finn frowned, lowering his head. "Oh, you too, huh." He laid his fork down. "I just wish I knew why."

Radarr hopped down from the chair and walked over to the sharpshooter. They looked at each other, the same expression on each of their faces. Finn gave a weak smile and lowered his arm. Radarr returned the blond's weak smile and climbed up onto his shoulder.

"Come on, buddy. Maybe we can find some good music to listen to in my room."

* * *

Finn ate his next two meals in his room and Radarr kept him company. Aerrow didn't seem to care. For the most part, Aerrow ignored them both. Every so often, however, those times when Finn would run into him, the Sky Knight would glare at him balefully; but he wouldn't say anything.

Both meals were brought to him by Piper. "He let me bring it to you," she said to him, her voice quivering.

At lunch he merely said "thank you" and nothing more. He couldn't read her face or body language at all. She wasn't Piper. He couldn't be sure if she was wary of him or of Aerrow. So when she brought him dinner that night, he asked her.

_She handed him the plate and glass and then turned to leave._

_"Do you believe I would betray you?"_

_She stared at him. He stared back, waiting for her reply._

_She dropped her gaze to the floor and turned back around. "I don't know, Finn."_

Finn didn't get much out of Junko either. The Wallop seemed to be afraid to talk to him. He seemed to be afraid of Aerrow. Had it been any other Wallop Finn would have laughed at the very idea, but Junko wasn't any other Wallop.

Stork would talk to him...when Aerrow wasn't around. Finn understood the Merb's reasoning. He really didn't want to talk to anyone when their Sky Knight was around, either; but they were always giving each other certain looks, their form of silent communication.

_And then there was Radarr. _The animal had gone from being Aerrow's constant to his. Radarr slept in his room that night and Aerrow didn't seem bothered by it. It was almost as if he preferred it that way. Finn had never felt so hurt in his life and the blue, furry creature could sense it. He, too, felt hurt; but that was more because of Aerrow's cruelty to Finn. He, on the other hand, was just being flat out ignored by the one he believed to be his best bud.

Radarr lay in the middle of Finn's bed, waiting for the blond to finish showering. His ears perked up at the sound of the door opening. Finn stepped in, a forlorn expression on his face. Evidently, he'd had a run-in with their Sky Knight. He closed and locked the door behind him. He sat back on his bed, leaning against the wall. Radarr climbed into his lap and looked up at him. Finn sighed heavily, scratching the animal's neck.

"When's this gonna end, Radarr?" Radarr let out a small whimper, laying his chin on Finn's leg. "Is it gonna end?"

* * *

He woke up the next morning to find Radarr curled up on the bed under his chin. He smiled a genuine smiled for the first time in two days but his smile would be short lived. He didn't even get the chance to sit up before there was a knock at his door. He slowly slipped out of bed and opened the door. Junko stood on the other side holding two plates of food, two glasses and a carton of orange juice. His ears were laid back and there was a despondent look on his face.

"Uhm, this is for you and Radarr." He handed the fare to Finn. Radarr took the juice and cups. "When you're done just..." The Wallop trailed off as if searching his brain for the right words. "Just put the dishes in the kitchen and it's okay if you drink all the juice 'cause Aerrow said he doesn't care." Finn stared at him, hoping his best pal would just...talk to him. "Uhm, that's all." But his hope was crushed. Junko quickly turned and walked away.

"Thanks," Finn said softly, closing the door.

Radarr looked up. The two exchanged saddened expressions. Finn sat their plates down on the desk as Radarr poured the juice. _Why are_ _you guys acting like this?_ Finn looked over at Radarr.

"I wonder if this is what happened to Dark Ace," he said quietly.

* * *

Finn spent most of his time in his room (with Radarr as company) venturing out only to use the bathroom and occasionally grab a snack from the kitchen. However, he was growing sick of being in his room so much; he wanted some fresh air.

"I need some air," he said to Radarr.

Aerrow was in his own room; Finn could hear him talking to himself as he passed by. _Good. I don't have to deal with him. At least for now_. He stopped in front of the bridge door, debating on whether or not to make an appearance. He decided against it. Radarr, who was on his shoulder, looked at him.

"Go on," he said to the animal. "I'll be out on the deck."

Radarr jumped down and stepped onto the bridge; Finn headed for the hangar.

* * *

"I hate this thing," Finn mumbled as he climbed down the ladder. "I bet this was Dark Ace's idea." He paused in thought. "Or maybe his _Sky_ _Knight's_ idea." Finn smirked to himself as he walked towards the deck. He stopped when he noticed how dirty their sky-rides were. "Man, don't they know how to clean their rides?"

He tried to ignore it and walk out onto the deck but his feet wouldn't move and neither would his eyes. Finally giving in, he ran off to grab what he needed. He _had_ to wash them. Dirty skimmers did not perform well... Okay, they performed fine; but there was no reason for them to stay dirty.

He returned to the dirty sky-rides with a rag and a bucket of soapy water, put his headphones on (can't work without music) and promptly went to work cleaning Piper's heli-scooter. He cleaned it and Junko's skimmer fairly quickly as they weren't real dirty, but dirty enough that they needed to be cleaned. Then there was Aerrow's skimmer. _What was he doing with it? Playing in a mudpit?_

With his headphones on and the music up just loud enough to shut out most of the outside noise, he went to work on Aerrow's skimmer. He was nearly finished when he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Get away," Aerrow snapped, jerking the blond backwards and knocking his headphones off.

"I'm just washing it," Finn said, rubbing his shoulder.

What did Aerrow think he was doing? Sabotaging his sky-ride? Of course, with the redhead believing he would betray them, the blond wouldn't put it past him.

"Don't tell me you still believe I'd betray you," Finn seethed. Aerrow glared at him. "I can't believe this." He tossed the rag onto Aerrow's skimmer.

"Just stay out of the hangar," Aerrow said flatly. "And stay off the bridge unless somebody else is there."

_Unless some body else is there, _Finn thought. _Stork's almost always on the bridge. Unless..._

"In other words, stay off the bridge unless _you're_ there," Finn replied just as flatly.

The whole idea was absurd and if Aerrow hadn't been so serious Finn would have laughed. He could still see the fury in the redhead's eyes. Finn knew he had ticked the Sky Knight off with his remark. He huffed at Finn, giving him a mock laugh.

"You honestly think I'm going to stay out of the hangar because you told me to," Finn replied haughtily, knowing what Aerrow was thinking. "What did you think I was doing? Sabotaging your ride?"

_What's worse than a glare?_ Whatever it is, that's what Finn was receiving from his Sky Knight. It was the same look Aerrow had given him two days ago in his room. Finn didn't like the look then and he _definitely_ didn't like it now. He watched the Sky Knight reach for his blade, but Aerrow stopped when Finn flinched.

"Stay out of the hangar," he seethed.

"What are you gonna do?" Finn said snottily. "Confine me to my quarters?" _Like I haven't been doing that to myself already._

He put his arm down. "You know Finn...that's not a bad idea."

"You don't believe I'm _going_ to betray you," the blond returned, now certain of what he had been merely suspicious of. "You believe I already have. That's why you don't want me in the hangar. You think I'll take one of the skimmers and meet up with...oh, let's say, Dark Ace." Finn glared back at Aerrow in annoyance. "And you know that our very own carrier pilot believes me and not you."

"Don't be ridiculous," the redhead scoffed.

"Or maybe," the sharpshooter continued with a snarl, "you _want _me to betray the Storm Hawks."

"Go!"

As they reached the bridge door Finn, deciding to be snotty again, said, "Now what? You gonna send me to my room?" He pushed Finn away from the bridge and down the corridor. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

He wasn't about to defy the Sky Knight at that point. He had done enough by talking and he could feel that bad ambiance again. Finn stepped into his room. Being confined to his quarters was probably healthy for both of them, mainly him.

Finn plopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. _What had gotten into Aerrow?_ The whole thing was absurd. They had to have run into something that day that caused all of this. If not someone.

_But who?_

* * *

Finn awoke, this time, to the annoying beeping of his annoying alarm clock. He stared at it, making no attempt to shut it off. Well, at least for a few seconds. He reached out and slammed his fist on the reset button. It had been three days since the confrontation in the hangar and Finn had seen neither hide nor hair of Aerrow until last night, when he had actually come to Finn's room and asked him why he hadn't shown up for dinner. Aerrow seemed normal. And when he joined the rest of the squad he was greeted with a "took you long enough." He glanced at Radarr and Stork who merely shrugged. They, except Stork and Radarr, acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. However, he and Stork periodically glanced at each other with looks of uncertainty; _when no one was looking._

There was a pounding on his door that forced him to sit up, which was followed by the jovial voice of Junko. "Come on, Finn. Aerrow won't let me start eating 'til you get down there."

_Maybe things are getting better_, Finn thought as he pulled his pants on.

"Fi-in..."

"I'm coming."

* * *

Finn slumped into his chair next to Junko, yawning. Aerrow was sitting at the end of the table holding tightly to Radarr who was lunging for the large stack of sandcakes at the center of the table. Aerrow was grimacing at Radarr; Stork was glaring at Radarr; Junko was staring at the food, drooling; and Piper was rolling her eyes at them. _Maybe things really_ _were getting back to normal_. Finn remained wary, however. Aerrow, Piper and Junko may not have remembered what had happened over the past week, but Finn still wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"It's about time you got down here," Stork said in his usual manner, still keeping his eyes on Radarr.

"Yeah, well..." was all Finn managed for a reply.

"You seem kinda tense, Finn," Aerrow said, sounding like...well, Aerrow. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine," he rushed out.

"You sure?" the redhead said, concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm sure," the blond answered with a grin.

"Can we eat now?" Junko said, staring at the sandcakes.

"Yes, Junko, you can eat now," Piper said with a laugh.

Stork pinned Radarr's head to the table. "You last."

The animal's eyes wandered to Aerrow. The redhead shrugged and grabbed a sandcake.

Finn looked around the table as he ate. Everything seemed so normal. Aerrow acted as if he had never accused the blond of betrayal or put a blade to his throat. No one made any mention of betrayal, but Finn couldn't keep it out of his mind.

* * *

Yeah, I know. I'm evil. The final chapter should be up sometime this weekend. The cloaked-figure will be back in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here it is. Some of will probably want to kill me when you finish reading this.

**Song Inspirations**: Never Take Friendship Personal by Anberlin; In the End by Linkin Park

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Cyclonians!" Stork yelled, making everyone jump.

"Stork, we're right here," Finn said. "You don't need to yell."

"Force of habit," the Merb replied.

"What are they doing out here?" Aerrow queried.

"Don't know," Stork replied. "But I wish they weren't."

"Maybe they're looking for us," Finn said. Everyone stared at him. "It's a possibility."

Piper looked at Aerrow. "Should we?"

The Sky Knight looked through the periscope. "No. Not yet. We'll do some recon and see what they're up to. I don't think they know we're here."

* * *

The Cyclonians didn't seem to be up to much of anything; which granted the Storm Hawks a rather boring week. Piper had threatened the boys not to draw any attention to them otherwise she would do horrible things to them with cheese graters. They did not want to find out what she meant by that so for once, they actually followed her plans.

After three days of, as Finn put it, "useless" recon, the Cyclonians left, leaving the Storm Hawks to wonder what the point was to the Talons being on the terra for those three days. They searched the area where the Cyclonians had been but came up with nothing.

"This all sucked," Finn said as they entered the hangar. "What were they doing?"

Junko shrugged. "Guess we'll never know."

"Well, regardless, we can get back to our regular patrols," Aerrow said, stretching his arms above his head.

Finn frowned. _Get back to our regular patrols_. This had disaster written all over it. He was certain those Cyclonians had done something, but he had no way of proving anything.

* * *

Deep in the forest, far from the _Condor_, a red-tailed hawk perched on a boulder in a rocky out-cropping. A man and woman dressed in heavy cloaks approached the feathered raptor. The bird made no attempt to flee. It watched them approach as if it had been waiting for them. They stopped ten feet from the out-cropping. The man stretched out his arm as the bird took flight towards him, perching itself on his arm. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal. He tucked the crystal into a crimson pouch attached to the hawk's leg.

"Well, my feathered companion," he said, stroking the bird's neck, "it seems our young blond friend is on the verge of finding himself a new home. "

The hawk looked at him and called softly.

"So do I, my friend," the man replied as if understanding the bird's call. "Now go."

As the bird took flight the woman turned to the man and said, "Are you sure all that you're doing is a good idea?"

He looked her in the eyes, saying softly, "It's the only way."

* * *

While the others went out on patrol, Finn hung back on the _Condor_ with Stork. He laid on his bed reading a magazine, catching up on the laziness he had been denied over the past two weeks. He was finally feeling relaxed; he was finally feeling that everything was back to normal. _He_ _couldn't have been more wrong_. He began reading an article on the new line of crystal displacement engines when he was interrupted by knocking on his door.

"It's open," he said, not wanting to get up off his bed.

"Is this what you do when I'm not around?"

Finn brought his magazine down just enough to see over the top of it. Aerrow stood in the doorway with that _look_ on his face. It felt like those piercing green eyes of the Sky Knight's were staring right through his soul. It was worse than the last time—_if that was even possible_. He sat up, laying the magazine down.

"Find anything _interesting_ out there?" he said, trying to ignore the look.

"You could say that," Aerrow replied nonchalantly.

Finn looked at him. "Care to elaborate," he said, standing up.

Ignoring Finn's question, he held out a white crystal. "You know what this is?"

"A message crystal." _What is this? Is he planning on giving me a lesson on crystals? He knows as much about them as I do._

"It was delivered here a few hours ago," the Sky Knight said, staring at the crystal.

"That's nice," Finn replied flatly, walking over to his desk. "What's it got to do with me?"

"Oh, it has everything to do with you," he hissed, glaring at Finn.

It was starting again. He could feel the air in his room growing thick. Aerrow was looking at him condescendingly, flipping the crystal in his hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Finn hissed.

"Well, the package was dressed to you," Aerrow said coolly.

"So you made it a point to open it for me."

Aerrow smirked in response. For the first time in all the years he had known him, the redhead was seriously ticking him off. "And I suppose you made it a point to listen to it," Finn added, trying not to show his anger.

His Sky Knight smiled at him with that same condescending look.

Finn returned his smile with a scowl. "So, find anything new about me?" he said coolly.

"Oh, I found exactly what I needed." He tossed the crystal to Finn and walked out.

Finn didn't bother listening to the crystal. He would later realize that listening to it just may have saved the Storm Hawks.

* * *

The entire squad sat around the table that night, eating in silence. Aerrow would look at Finn every so often. He never said a word, but Finn knew what he was thinking. _Traitor_.

Piper and Junko didn't look at him at all. The sharpshooter knew something had happened to them while they were out on patrol. This was getting ridiculous. Finn sighed, hoping someone would say something.

Aerrow cleared his throat. "I'm going to my quarters."

Not the something Finn was hoping for. As soon as Aerrow was gone the blond looked over at Junko. "So, how did it go?"

The Wallop shrugged. "Same ol' same ol'."

_Now why don't I believe that?_ Finn thought. "I'm going to my quarters," he said, standing up. "Thanks for making dinner, Piper."

She looked at her plate, uttering not a word. When Finn was out of sight she said softly, "You're welcome."

Junko's face fell. He wanted to give Finn a big, crushing hug, say he was sorry and tell him everything that had been happening on their patrols; but...Aerrow. He was a Wallop. He wasn't supposed to be afraid of anything or anyone. But Aerrow... And he couldn't deny what he had seen. He looked at Piper. She looked so sad, like she was about to cry.

She stood up so quickly she knocked her chair over. "I-I'm..." She dropped her gaze and quickly left, leaving Junko, Radarr and Stork sitting silently at the table.

Radarr whimpered. Stork turned and looked out the open bay door. The sun was setting, and if it wasn't for the heavy atmosphere in the _Condor_, it would have been beautiful. The Merb wanted to ask what had been happening during those patrols, but he knew he wouldn't get anything out of the Wallop. He dropped the idea from his mind and watched the sun dip below the horizon.

* * *

Piper walked down the corridor, her mind flooded with a thousand thoughts. She wanted so badly to give Finn a hug; tell him she was sorry; tell him everything that had happened to them on their patrols; why Aerrow was acting the way he was, but...

She stopped by her door and leaned against it. "I don't know if I can keep doing this," she said to herself.

She leaned quietly against her door for a few more moments as a tear trickled down her cheek. She straightened herself and walked towards Finn's room. Taking a deep breath, she knocked softly on the door.

* * *

Finn sat at his desk, staring out the window. Like Piper his mind was flooded with a thousand thoughts. A notebook lay open on his desk. He wanted to write down those thoughts, but they were racing around his mind so quickly and colliding with each other he couldn't concentrate on a single complete thought. He tapped the pen on his desk, staring hard at the blank paper before him. Unable to grasp onto any of his thoughts he dropped the pen onto his desk and leaned into it. He laid his folded arms on top of the notebook and laid his forehead on his arms.

"Man, this sucks," he said to himself.

His eyes were about to close when he heard a soft knock at his door. _Now who could that be?_

He stood up and sauntered over to the door, opening it. He couldn't believe who was standing on the other side of the door.

"Piper?" He had to be dreaming.

She stared at him, unsure of what to say. He stared back, confused by her visit. Her gaze dropped to the floor.

"Piper... What is it?" She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Piper, what's wrong?" His voice was shaky.

He stood perfectly still as she moved toward him. She stopped when her forehead was nearly touching his throat. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. He stared ahead, completely stunned; but he soon found himself wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her head.

"I'm sorry, Finn," she said sotto voce.

"It's okay," he replied.

Without another word, she pulled away and walked back to her room. Finn stepped into the corridor and watched her enter her quarters. He had no doubt that things were going to get worse.

* * *

Aerrow stood alone in the hangar. It was early morning and the others were just getting up. He, however, had been up for a couple hours. He had spent the last week going on each patrol alone. No one argued. Finn never bothered to ask. He mounted his ride. It had rained the night before and the air smelled damp. The sky was still cloudy; it could begin raining at any time. He had to make this patrol quick.

As he flew out over the forest canopy, he wondered if he was dreaming, if he was really still asleep in his bed. For some reason, the sensation of the air around him didn't feel real. There was something other than the smell of rain in the air.

He landed in a clearing near a waterfall. The cloaked-figure he had been speaking to for the past month was nowhere to be seen.

_Must be early_, Aerrow thought. "Either that or it's late."

A piercing cry broke Aerrow from his thoughts. He turned to see a red-tailed hawk perched on a rock near the water. He turned back when he heard the crunch of pine needles. The cloaked-figure was walking towards him; it stopped a few feet away.

"Here again?" it said.

Aerrow glared. "I want to know the truth."

It held up a turquoise-colored crystal in its gloved hand. It looked at the crystal. "What's that old saying? 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' The same could be said of the truth." It tossed the crystal to Aerrow. "I can't tell you if he will or not. That's for you to decide. Just remember, all is not what it seems."

* * *

Finn had been avoiding Aerrow all day. He had been on the bridge when the Sky Knight returned from his morning run. As he landed on the deck, Finn noticed a strange look on his face. It was unlike anything he had seen before—_on anyone_. Not even the Dark Ace could match that expression.

"I suggest you hide, "Stork had said to him. "I'm thinking about doing that myself."

That was definitely a good idea. Finn made his way from room to room, doing his best to avoid his Sky Knight. It worked, for the most part. He didn't have to work too hard at it. Aerrow didn't seem interested in talking to him then. Not a word was uttered between them when they did happen to cross each other's paths and Finn was fine with that; he actually welcomed the silence between them. He had stopped by Piper's lab to talk to her; but after what had happened two nights ago, they could only stare at each other in an awkward silence.

So, he now found himself in the hangar, sitting on the floor against the wall, staring into space. He sat quietly, letting his mind drift, until he heard footsteps approaching. He stood when he realized it was Aerrow. He stood flush against the wall as the Sky Knight drew a blade and held it to his throat.

"We both know the truth," Aerrow hissed. "Don't you dare deny it."

"What are you talking about?" Finn said through his teeth, afraid to move even in the slightest. "What's wrong with you?"

"This isn't about me," the redhead seethed, withdrawing his blade. He glared at Finn and left.

Finn decided at that moment, one way or the other, that would be the last time his Sky Knight would hold a blade to his throat.

* * *

Once again, Aerrow sat on his skimmer next to the waterfall. It was a cool. misty afternoon and Aerrow was in a fairly good mood. Finn had been trying to avoid him for the past few days. When he was able to corner the blond and ask why he was being so evasive, he wouldn't say. Aerrow was set on finding out, but he would have to ask someone else. Maybe it would know.

_Well, speak of the devil_, Aerrow thought as the cloaked-figure stepped into his line of sight.

"What brings you here this time?" it asked.

And he wanted to know who _it_ was.

"Why is Finn being so evasive?"

"Ah, no memory," it replied. "So it is happening again."

"What?" Aerrow looked at it perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

"This isn't the first time," it answered in a hissy voice.

"What isn't the first time?" Aerrow said loudly. "What's going on? Who are you?"

"Perhaps, it is time," it said.

Aerrow sat up straight on his skimmer. He was about to speak when he heard a loud cry. He looked up to see a red-tailed hawk flying towards them. The cloaked-figure held out its arm. The hawk circled the figure before perching on its arm.

"You sent the message crystal," Aerrow said, remembering Piper saying something about a red-tailed hawk and a message crystal.

"You remember then?"

"Who are you?" the Sky Knight demanded.

The figure pulled off its hood. "We have much to talk about, Aerrow."

* * *

Finn poked his head around the doorframe, peering onto the bridge. _There he was...Just standing there. This was it. The final showdown. He was going to get his_. Finn stepped silently onto the bridge. He stopped a few feet away from _him_.

_Good. He's distracted talking to Stork_. The blond brought his arm back, ready to attack. _You're going down_.

He narrowed his eyes and then...

"Waaahhh!"

"Gotcha, Finn!"

Aerrow turned around. Junko had Finn in a bear-hug and the blond was covered with poma fruit. The redhead burst into laughter and Stork rolled his eyes, mumbling something about mindworms and rashes.

Finn grimaced. "Man..."

Junko let the sharpshooter go. Aerrow picked up a stray piece of fruit. "Incoming!"

The blond ducked. The fruit hit Junko square on the forehead. The Wallop grinned.

Aerrow frowned. "Uh-oh."

Piper mulled over a map as the fruit began to fly. And if a piece of fruit came to close, well...she made it a point to inform the boys that she had no control over who would be eating it. Finn jumped up, grabbing a piece of fruit before it hit her. He grinned at her. She gave him a sly smile and pushed him out of the way. They were no longer having awkward moments, but Finn still wondered.

Aerrow hadn't been out on patrol since his last meeting with the cloaked-figure two weeks ago. He hadn't even been off the _Condor_, at least not without Finn. It made the blond wonder if it all had been a farce, some kind of test concocted by his Sky Knight. Everything went on as if the past six weeks had never existed and he was beginning to believe it so. He was finally feeling like he was a part of the squad again.

He flashed another grin at Piper before turning around to fire another poma fruit at Aerrow. He was ready to release the fruit when he felt something touch his back. He turned back to Piper. She was smiling, but not her normal smile. And there was something else, something in her eyes. Distracted, he jumped when Junko called his name, causing him to throw the fruit in a random direction; a direction that ended up being Stork's. The fruit splattered on the back of the Merb's head.

"Sorry Stork."

"It was bound to happen," Stork muttered.

The fruit continued to fly until the bridge was covered with the red produce. It looked like a slaughter had taken place. But it only resulted in laughter and a very long clean-up. Things were getting back to normal and Finn was finally feeling happy again.

Later that night, they intercepted a transmission. Cyclonians were headed their way, though they wouldn't arrive until the following day. The Cyclonians had been in their vicinity already, but the transmission made it clear that this time would be different. Finn waited for Aerrow to turn on him again; but the redhead made no motion to do such, much to the blond's relief. There was something strange in the air; Finn couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The following morning Finn was awakened by knocking on his door.

* * *

"Well, at least it's not that stupid alarm," he mumbled.

He opened the door to find Piper standing on the other side. He was now _very_ happy he decided _not_ to sleep in only his boxers.

"Piper..." he said, shocked. "Uh, what's up?"

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Uhm, sure," he replied, gesturing for her to come in. "So, what's up?"

She stood at his desk, staring out the window. "Look, Finn, I know I haven't always treated you the way I should and you still get on my nerves..."

_Okay, where's this going?_

"But I... It's just that..." She dropped her gaze. "Finn, I..."

He placed his hand on her shoulder. He had a feeling. "Piper."

She pressed her forehead against his chest. Taking a few deep breaths, he placed his right hand under her chin, lifting her head. Her eyes met his. He leaned forward until his lips met hers; they both closed their eyes. He placed his hands on her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their simple kiss quickly turned into a far more passionate one.

Too absorbed in the moment, neither one realized Finn had begun stepping backwards, taking Piper along. Nor did either of them see the desk chair turned out. Finn's left heel caught the leg of the chair, causing him to fall. He toppled backwards, pulling Piper with him. He landed on his back with a thud; Piper landed on top of him. They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Regaining their composure, they both sat up, Piper sitting next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder, sighing.

"I'd better get to the bridge," she said, not sounding real eager to move.

"Yeah, I'd better get dressed," he returned with the same lack of eagerness.

He stood up slowly then helped Piper to her feet. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. He happily wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. He didn't want to let her go. He had a sinking feeling that this would be the last time he would be able to hold her; they would be going no further than this. He could feel her hot tears on his chest. He knew she had the same feeling.

He took a deep breath. "I love you, Piper," he said softly.

She choked back her tears. "I love you, Finn," she replied, unwillingly pulling away.

He smiled at her, wiping away her tears with his thumb. He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. She smiled back.

"I'd better go now," she said, walking to the door.

As it opened, she turned back to him, smiled and walked out. Finn sat down on his bed, running his hand through his hair. He looked over at his nightstand and grabbed his alarm clock.

"I don't think I'll be needing you anymore." He turned it completely off and set it back on the nightstand. "Better get ready."

He quickly changed clothes and pulled his boots on. Standing by the open door, he took one last look around his room, soaking in its every detail. He knew there was a very good chance he would never see it again. He huffed and walked out, closing the door behind him.

As he neared the bridge he could hear the voices of his squad mates. Piper sounded unhappy. He stopped at the bridge door and listened. Aerrow was speaking now, speaking about him and it didn't sound good.

"So, you still believe that crap," he whispered to himself. "Well, if betrayal's what you want then betrayal's what you'll get."

As he headed towards the hangar he heard the bridge door open.

"Finn," Stork called. He ignored the Merb.

* * *

He was leaning against his ride when the others entered the hangar. For some reason Radarr wasn't with them. Junko gave him a cock-eyed grin as he mounted his ride. Piper smiled at him gently as she walked over to her heli-scooter. Aerrow stopped in front of him, giving him an odd look.

"Hey, where's Radarr," Finn asked.

"He's staying on the Condor with Stork," Finn answered. "I was thinking we could take his skimmer." He gestured towards the Skimmer III with the metal plate attached to the back.

Finn raised an eyebrow. "Sure."

"Then let's go." Once they were both on the skimmer, Aerrow looked back at Finn. "You ready?"

There was something odd in that happy-go-lucky look Aerrow gave him. Finn grinned. "You better believe it."

* * *

The Cyclonians had yet to enter their air space, but they weren't far away. They could see the Talons in the distance. With everyone focused on their incoming enemy, Finn seized his opportunity. He grabbed Aerrow's blades, quickly connecting them.

Feeling his blades being drawn, Aerrow turned his head just enough to see Finn standing with the connected blades in his hands, ready to strike.

"You know the old saying," Finn said, "what you send around comes around?"

Aerrow had an odd look on his face. It wasn't shock, exactly. He looked as if he was expecting it, but not expecting it.

As the Talons closed in, Finn yelled, "I put my trust in you! And look where it got me!"

"Finn! Wait!"

* * *

It felt like everything had happened in slow motion. And he still felt like he was moving in slow motion as he headed for the Cyclonian Destroyer in front of him. Smoke billowed from the _Condor_ as it fell below the cloud-line behind him. He didn't look back. The Storm Hawks were no more. And he was now on his way to Cyclonia; to a new life; a new name. Neither of which he really wanted..

He entered the hangar to a surprise. Dark Ace was standing between two Switchblades. The blond stopped and looked up at him.

"Welcome aboard, Finn," he said.

The tone of his voice didn't match his expression. There was an odd look in his eyes.

"Now what?" Finn said flatly.

"For you... I don't know," he replied. "That's not my call." He turned around. "Follow me."

"So, what happened to you when you first arrived on Cyclonia?" Finn asked, wanting to get an idea of what he may be in store for.

Dark Ace stopped, his body stiffening at the question. He turned his head to look at Finn. His eyes had a strange emptiness to them. "It doesn't matter."

There was coldness in his voice, but it wasn't directed at Finn. It was something else and the blond was certain he was going to find out what it was very soon.

* * *

Finn refused to pledge his allegiance to Cyclonis or her empire. He found a strength within himself he never knew he had, but it didn't last long. He was subjected to months of physical and mental torture. Dark Ace was never present in those moments. Finn figured he was out on missions. It didn't matter. Even if Dark Ace were there they wouldn't be able to break him. After nearly a year he finally decided to let Cyclonis have her way. He had been pushed as far as he could go with the Storm Hawks and he wondered, _how far could he be pushed with Cyclonia?_

* * *

He bowed before Cyclonis alongside Dark Ace. The Cyclonian queen smiled malevolently, tapping her fingers on the arm of her throne. She pointed a boney finger at the blond.

"So, Finn," she said coolly. "What will you do for me?"

He looked up at her, his eyes cold. "Whatever you wish, Master."

She smiled malevolently again. "Go."

The two Talons bowed again and walked out of the throne room. As they walked down the corridor nearing Dark Ace's quarters, the man stopped. He turned to face Finn.

"We should be receiving orders soon," he said. "But first..." Finn watched as a few Talons stepped out of the shadows. "There's something we need to discuss."

Finn eyed each of the Talons. A grin crossed his lips.

_**fin**_

I bet none of you have any clue as to what's really going on. If you would like to know ask in a review or something. I'm too lazy to write all here. But I will give the reason why Aerrow was all nasty one moment and then acted as if nothing had ever happened. It has to do with the pyramid, though I don't know what. I haven't bothered to fwork it out. Aerrow did figure out what was happening to him by the end of the story, but it was too little too late for Finn. Yeah, I know. I'm evil.

This was fun.


End file.
